Hospital beds



w. KOTLER HOSPITAL BEDS Sept. 8, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 23, 1962 WILLIAM KOTLER INVENTOR.

BY W

ATTORNEY W. KOTLER Sept. 8, 1964 HOSPITAL BEDS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb 23, 1962 on mm as WILLIAM KOTLER INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY United States Patent 6 3,147,494 HUSPITAL BEDS William Kotler, 2% SW. 30th Road, Miami, Fla. Filed Feb. 23, 1962, Ser. No. 175,120 7 Claims. (Cl. -81) This invention relates to improvements in hospital beds, and more particularly to novel means for transferring a patient from one bed to another.

Considerable difficulty is frequently experienced in hospitals, sanitariums and the like in transferring a bedridden reclining patient from one bed to another, which frequently becomes necessary. If the patient is large and heavy, or unconscious, or convalescing from a delicate operation before the stitches have been removed, or partially or wholly paralyzed and in other difiicult condition, it generally requires several, sometimes two or three or more persons, nurses, hospital attendants or others to lift such a patient from the bed he is in and transfer him to another bed. In addition to the trouble of requiring several persons to do the job, it is also hazardous, and injury can easily be caused to the patient during the transfer. This invention overcomes all of these difficulties by the provision of novel and efficient mechanism to accomplish the transfer which may be built into the hospital bed.

The principal object of this invention is to provide means in a hospital bed to transfer a reclining patient from one hospital bed to another, which is simple and easy to operate, and which requires a minimum of effort on the part of the operator.

Another object of the invention is to provide novel patient transfer means which may be operated by one,

person.

A further object is to provide novel means for transferring a patient from one bed to another with complete safety and which prevents any possibility of injury to the patient.

Yet another object is to provide an efficient patient transfer mechanism which may be operated by either manual or power means.

, A still further object is to provide means for transferring a reclining patient from one bed to another which is incorporated in the bed itself, and which is strong, durable in use, and requires a minimum of service and repair.

Many other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become apparent from a reading of the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic end view of two hospital beds connected together and illustrating the mechanism of this invention, parts being shown in broken outline to show several positions of the device, and

FIGURE 2 is a perspective diagrammatic view in broken outline of two hospital beds connected together and illustrating the operating mechanism in solid outline.

Referring more specifically to the drawings in detail in which like parts bear like numerals throughout the several views, there is shown a hospital bed A and an identical hospital bed B.

Beds A and B are conventional, hospital-type well known in the art to which the mechanism of this invention is attached. The transfer of the reclining patient from Bed A to Bed B is accomplished in the use of 3,147,494 Patented Sept. 8, 1964 this invention while he remains on the same sheet 9 he is reclining on in Bed A.

An elongated lengthwise slotted pair of rollers 10 and 11 are provided, and bed sheet 9 is inserted in slot 15 of roller 10, and then wound around roller 10 several turns to secure it to the roller by a snubbing action. The roller 10 includes a releasable one-way clutch 17 of any well known design, operatively associated with each end of' the roller and connecting the roller with the projecting ends of its axle 16 to permit rotation in only one direction when desired, and serving to lock the roller 10 against reverse rotation when the sheet is wrapped about the roller 10. This one-way clutch may operate in a manner similar to that of the well-known common window shade, or be constructed with a pawl and ratchet arrangement, or any other desirable well-known one-way clutch mechanism, including any conventional release means.

The roller 11 is similarly provided with a lengthwise extending slot 20, having projecting axles 21 at each end and a releasable one-way clutch 22 all identical to those provided for roller 10.

A pair of arms 25 for supporting and carrying the roller 10 are pivotally mounted at 26 at each end of a longitudinally extending shaft 28, which shaft is fixed in turn at its respective ends to the head and to the foot of the Bed A. The upper outer end portions 30 of each of the arms 25 are adapted to receive the axle pins 16 of the roller 10 in any suitable pivotal type connection. Thus, the roller 10 extends from the head of Bed A to the foot and is pivotally mounted and operatively connected through the one-way clutch 17 to the arms 25 which are rotatably carried by shaft 28, one at the head of the Bed A and one at its foot.

The length of the arms 25 from their pivot points 26 to their outer ends, which carry the roller 10, is such that the roller 10 may be lowered to'the level of the mattress of the bed and along the side edge thereof, as'

illustrated by the broken lines in FIGURE 1, when in starting position with the patient reclining on bed sheet 9. This starting position is the left side of Bed A, as viewed in FIGURE 1. The pivot point 26 of the arms 25, being in the center of Bed A, it is apparent that the length of arm 25 from pivot point 26 to its outer end will sim-- ilarly extend to the opposite side edge of the mattress of the bed when rotated and lowered to extend the roller 10 into a position along the right side edge of the mattress, as shown in FIGURE 1.

An identically arranged pair of arms 35 are pivotally mounted on and supported by the ends of lengthwise extending shaft 38 of Bed B at 36, and function in the identical manner of that described for arms 25 of Bed A, as is clearly illustrated in the drawings.

The arms 36 of Bed B support roller 11 at its outer ends exactly in the same manner that the roller 10 is supported by arms 26 of Bed A.

Means to connect and rotate the pair of supporting arms 25 of Bed A and supporting arms of Bed B on their respective axles 26 and 36 together is provided, which consists of the following mechanism. A crosswise horizontally extending tubular shaft 40 is provided for Bed A, and is rotatably mounted at each end and operatively associated in any suitable manner to the side rails of the bed or to the opposite legs of the bed. This crosswise extending shaft 40 may be located at either the head or the foot of the bed, as desired.

A gear 41 is mounted on one end of shaft 40 and keyed to rotate therewith by key 42 or otherwise fixed to rotate with cross shaft 40. This gear 41 is shown at the left hand side of the Bed A in the drawings. A second gear 43 is rotatably mounted in some suitable manner to the left side rail or frame of Bed A immediately below gear 41 and in driving meshed engagement with gear 41, as shown in the drawings. Gear 43 is mounted on a central stub shaft 44 to which it is keyed at 45 for rotating stub shaft 44. The gear 43 may be fixed to its supporting shaft in any other suitable conventional manner or integral therewith, if desired. The inner end of shaft 44 is formed into one-half of a universal joint or is operatively connected with one-half of a universal joint 46. The other half of the universal joint 47, which is joined to the first half 46 in the conventional well known manner, is in turn operatively connected with or formed on to the end of a screw threaded shaft 48. A female screw receiving member 49 is pivotally fixed to the lower portion of one of the arms 25 below their pivot point 26, as shown in the drawings, and is bored and threaded through its center to receive the screw threaded shaft 43 in operative connection therewith.

When the screw shaft 48 is rotated in one direction, it screws into screw receiving member 49, which is rotatively fixed to the lower portion of one of the arms 25 which causes the arms 25 to rotate on their pivot points 26 and swing in one direction. When the screw shaft 48 is rotated in the opposite direction, the arms 25 will be swung on their pivot points 26 in the opposite direction. This screw driving action will thereby raise and carry the elongated slotted roller 10, around which the bed sheet 9 has been wrapped in a snubbing manner, in an are, as clearly illus trated in FIGURE 1 of the drawings, to ultimately transfer roller to the opposite side of the Bed A. In the drawings, the roller 10 and accompanying bed sheet 9 is thus transferred from the right side of the Bed A to the left side in the direction indicated by the arrows, in FIG- URE 1.

An identical mechanism is installed in Bed B for transferring roller 11 from the right side edge of Bed B to its left side edge, as illustrated in the broken lines in FIGURE 1 of the drawings, moving in an arc and in the direction indicated by the arrows.

The mechanism installed in Bed B includes a crosswise horizontally extending shaft 50, suitably rotatably mounted to the side rails of the Bed B, as shown in the drawings. A gear 51 is mounted at one end of shaft 50 and secured thereto by key 52, or otherwise fixed to rotate with shaft 50. Gear 51 is shown at the left hand side of Bed B in the drawings. A second gear 53 is rotatably mounted in any suitable manner to the left side rail or frame of Bed B immediately below gear 51 and in driving meshed engagement with gear 51, as shown in the drawings. Gear 53 is mounted on a central stub 54 which is keyed at 55 to rotate with stub shaft 54. The gear 53 may be fixed to its supporting shaft in any other suitable manner or integral therewith, if desired. The inner end of shaft 54 is formed into or operatively connected with one-half 56 of a universal joint. The other half 57 of the universal joint is joined to the first half 56 in the conventional well known manner, and is in turn operatively connected with or formed on to the end of an elongated screw threaded shaft 58. A female internally screw receiving member 59 is pivotally fixed to the lower portion of one of the arms 35 of Bed B below their pivot point 36, as shown in the drawings, and is bored and threaded through its center to receive the screw threaded shaft 58 in operative connection therewith.

When the screw shaft 58 is rotated in either direction, it will screw into and out of the privotally mounted screw receiving member 59 and cause the arms 35 of Bed B to rotate on their pivot points 36 and swing in an arc to the left or right, as desired. This screw driving action will thereby raise and carry the elongated roller 11 of Bed B,

around which the opposite side edge of bed sheet 9 has been wrapped in a snubbing manner, in an arc, in the direction indicated by the arrows in FIGURE 1, to ulti mately transfer roller 11 to the opposite side of the Bed B.

A hand crank 60 is suitably removably operatively connected with hollow cross shaft 50 of Bed B by any suitable means which may be a conventional bayonet lock or splined shaft.

Turning the crank 60 rotates cross shaft 50 of Bed B, and gear 51 which drives gear 53 and rotates the elongated screw 58 as has been described.

Bed A and Bed B are connected together at both ends of the beds in side by side close adjacent relationship by a hook and latch device 61 or any other conven tional positive locking and unlocking latch mechanism, as shown in the drawings.

When Bed A and Bed B are securely hooked together, as shown, the driving motion of cross shaft 51 of Bed B is transmitted to cross shaft 40 of Bed A by a projecting central stub shaft 63 carried by gear 51 or formed integral therewith, which acts as the male mem ber of a driving connecting joint, extending into the right hand end of hollow cross shaft 40 and is slidably keyed thereto by any splined shaft or rib connection, which is well known in the art, thus locking the shaft of Bed B and 40 of Bed A together. This is clearly shown in the drawings.

It is thus apparent that when Beds A and B are pushed together, male member 63 of gear 51 of the left hand side of Bed B enters the hollow cross shaft 40 of Bed A, and since it is keyed and locked thereto, shafts 50 of Bed B and 40 of Bed A will be locked for rotation together, said rotation caused by manual turning power through removable hand crank 60. Beds A and B are locked together against separation by latches 61 during the transfer operation.

The operation of transferring the reclining patient from Bed A to Bed B is simple and easy for one person to accomplish by the use of this mechanism. The two beds A and B are simply pushed together and locked against separation, as described, with the driving mechanism connected by the insertion of shaft 63 of Bed B into hollow shaft 40 of Bed A.

The patient is reclining on sheet 9 on Bed A with side roller 10 lowered along the mattress level of the left side of Bed A. The operator merely inserts the left side edge of sheet 9 into elongated slot 15 of roller 10 of Bed A and rotates the roller 10 to wrap the sheet snugly around the roller 10. The releasable one-way clutches 17, located at each end of roller 10, will prevent unwinding of the left end of sheet 9 from the roller holding the sheet securely snubbed in operating position until released. The right side edge of sheet 9 is then inserted in roller 11 of Bed B which is in lowered position along the mattress level of the left side of Bed B and wound snugly around the roller until sheet 9 is taut. One-way clutches 22 on each end of roller 11 prevent unwinding of the sheet.

The arms 25 of Bed A and the arms 35 of Bed B are then rotated in an are, as previously described, by turning hand crank until the rollers 10 and 11 have been moved to the right side of Beds A and B respectively.

.After the patient has been transferred from Bed A to Bed B on taut sheet 9, the beds may be easily disconnected and separated by disconnecting latches 61. The one-way clutches 17 and 22 are then released so that sheet 9 may be unwound and the rollers 10 and 11 removed.

If desired, removable cross members 65 in the form of a metal slat, may be removably connected to the ends of rollers 10 and 11 at the upper outer ends of arms 25 and 35 through their axles 16 and 21 respectively, as shown in the drawings, by utilizing any well known slot means to insure positive constant positioning of outer ends of arms 35 and 25.

It is contemplated that power means, such as an electric motor, for example, may be utilized to drive the mechanism, if desired.

It is contemplated that the same novel mechanism, disclosed herein, can be used in conjunction with an operating table, a stretcher, a recovery bed, a stretcher table, or any other type of bed from which a reclining patient is to transferred in the same manner to obtain the same results.

While the preferred form of the invention is described and shown, it is to be understood that changes and modifications in detail and construction are contemplated without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention, as set forth in the accompanying claims.

I claim:

1. A hospital bed having apparatus which is built into and forms an integral part of the bed for transferring a reclining patient from said hospital bed to a second hospital bed having identical apparatus built therein and forming an integral part of the second bed,

(a) A pair of conventional beds each having similar transfer apparatus built therein a headboard and a footboard, a pair of longitudinally connecting side rails and a mattress supported thereon,

(b) A sheet covering the mattress of one of said beds,

(0) An elongated lengthwise slotted roller operatively attached to and forming an integral part of each bed, each roller being adapted to receive one side edge of said sheet,

(d) An axle shaft projecting from each end of said roller,

(2) A releasable one-Way clutch operatively associated with each end of said roller between the roller and aXle shaft adapted to permit rotation of said roller in only one direction to permit taut winding the sheet about the roller and to lock the roller against rotation in the reverse direction to prevent unwinding of the sheet,

(1) A centrally disposed longitudinally extending shaft fixed at its ends to the head and foot of each bed,

(g) A pair of arms pivotally mounted on and adjacent to the opposite ends of said shaft,

(h) The upper outer end portions of said arms adapted to receive and support the axle shafts of each of said slotted rollers,

(i) Means to rotate said arms and transfer said slotted rollers together with the taut wrapped around sheet from one side of each bed to the other side.

2. The apparatus for transferring a reclining patient from one hospital bed to another, as described in claim 1, wherein the means to rotate the arms which support the slotted rollers about which the sheet is tautly wrapped from one side of each bed to the other side thereof, including a transversely extending shaft rotatably mounted at each end in operative association with opposite sides of the bed, said shaft having gear means for rotating a screw-threaded worm which is operatively associated in driving relationship with the lower end portions of said arms, means to rotate the said horizontally disposed shaft and said gearing which operatively connects the shaft with the rotatable worm gear in a manner to transfer the rotative movement of the shaft through the worm gear to cause the arms to rotate sufiicienly to cause transfer of the slotted roller from its position approximately paralleling the surface of the mattress on one side of the bed through an arc to a position paralleling the approximate surface of the mattress on the opposite side of the bed, an identical transversely disposed drive shaft for the second bed with identical gearing and worm screw drive means operatively associated with the roller supporting arm of the second bed, and means for connecting the gearing of the horizontally disposed shaft of the first bed with the gearing of the shaft of the second bed in interlocking relationship so that the respective arms of each pair of beds can only be rotated in the same are and at the same speed simultaneously.

3. An apparatus for transferring a reclining patient from one hospital bed to another, as is set forth in claim 1, in which the means for rotating the arms which bear the slotted rollers is manually operated by a hand crank.

4. An apparatus for transferring a reclining patient from one hospital bed to another, as set forth in claim 1,

wherein the driving means for rotating the drive shaft and rotating said arms to cause them to transfer the slotted rollers about which the sheet on which the patient reclines is tautly wrapped from one side of each bed to the other side, is power operated.

5. An apparatus for transferring a reclining patient from one hospital bed to another, as described in claim 1, which includes means for positively connecting the two beds together in a manner which prevents their separation during the transfer operation.

6. Means, formed as a permanent and integral part of a hospital bed for transferring a reclining patient from one hospital bed having said integral transfer means built therein to another, comprising (a) A pair of beds each having a conventional head board and footboard which are connected together by a pair of longitudinally extending side rails and means to support a mattress thereon,

(b) A sheet covering the mattress of one of said beds adapted to support the reclining patient thereon,

(c) A pair of elongated lengthwise slotted rollers for each of said beds operatively formed as an integral part thereof, adapted to receive one side edge of said sheet upon which the patient is reclining,

(d) Means, forming an integral part of the bed, to wrap the sheet upon which the patient is reclining tautly about each of the rollers in a manner whereby they can not be unwound unintentionally, said means comprising suitable releasable one-Way clutch mecha nism which will cause a snubbing and locking action and permit the sheet to be wrapped tautly around each roller securely enough to safely support a re clining patient on the sheet,

(e) Means for connecting the two beds together during the transfer operation,

(f) Substantially identical pairs of arms integral with and carried by each bed which in turn are adapted to support the elongated slotted rollers of each of the beds,

(g) Drive shaft and gearing means adapted to rotate said supporting arms from one side of the bed to the other in an arc, whereby the slotted roller of each bed is transferred from one side of each respective bed to the other while supporting a reclining patient on the sheet of the first bed, said drive and gearing means arranged to rotate both of said pairs of supporting arms at a constant speed and at the same angle throughout the transfer procedure, and

(h) Means to release the said one-way clutch to permit removal of the sheet from the slotted rollers when the transfer operation has been completed.

7. Apparatus for transferring a reclining patient from one hospital bed to another, comprising (a) A pair of conventional beds each having a head board, a footboard, a pair of longitudinally connecting side rails, and a mattress supported thereon,

(b) A sheet covering the mattress of the first of said beds upon which the patient is reclining,

(0) An elongated lengthwise extendin oller for each bed adapted to receive one side edge of the sheet of the first bed in a wrapped around taut snubbed rela' tion between said rollers,

(d) Geared driving shafts for both the first and second beds which are adapted to be interlocked in driving relationship when the two beds are connected together,

(e) Means for connecting the beds together,

(f) A pair of roller supporting arms for each bed,

(g) Said geared driving means having suitable gear- '2' 7 ing, including a Worm screw for moving both pairs of roller supporting arms simultaneously in an are at the same speed and in approximately the same angle of movement, and

(11) Means for driving saidgearing and rotating said arms in a manner whereby the roller of the first bed and the roller of the second bed are moved from one side of each of the connected beds to the other through an arc While supporting the patient reclining on the sheet from the first bed to the second bed.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,008,770 Raffo July 23, 1935 2,208,410 Carter July 1 6, 1940 2,500,739 Beem Mar. 14, 1950 

1. A HOSPITAL BED HAVING APPARATUS WHICH IS BUILT INTO AND FORMS AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE BED FOR TRANSFERRING A RECLINING PATIENT FROM SAID HOSPITAL BED TO A SECOND HOSPITAL BED HAVING IDENTICAL APPARATUS BUILT THEREIN AND FORMING AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE SECOND BED, (A) A PAIR OF CONVENTIONAL BEDS EACH HAVING SIMILAR TRANSFER APPARATUS BUILT THEREIN A HEADBOARD AND A FOOTBOARD, A PAIR OF LONGITUDINALLY CONNECTING SIDE RAILS AND A MATTRESS SUPPORTED THEREON, (B) A SHEET COVERING THE MATTRESS OF ONE OF SAID BEDS, (C) AN ELONGATED LENGTHWISE SLOTTED ROLLER OPERATIVELY ATTACHED TO AND FORMING AN INTEGRAL PART OF EACH BED, EACH ROLLER BEING ADAPTED TO RECEIVE ONE SIDE EDGE OF SAID SHEET, (D) AN AXLE SHAFT PROJECTING FROM EACH END OF SAID ROLLER, (E) A RELEASABLE ONE-WAY CLUTCH OPERATIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH EACH END OF SAID ROLLER BETWEEN THE ROLLER AND AXLE SHAFT ADAPTED TO PERMIT ROTATION OF SAID ROLLER IN ONLY ONE DIRECTION TO PERMIT TAUT WINDING THE SHEET ABOUT THE ROLLER AND TO LOCK THE ROLLER AGAINST ROTATION IN THE REVERSE DIRECTION TO PREVENT UNWINDING OF THE SHEET, (F) A CENTRALLY DISPOSED LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING SHAFT FIXED AT ITS ENDS TO THE HEAD AND FOOT OF EACH BED, (G) A PAIR OF ARMS PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON AND ADJACENT TO THE OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID SHAFT, (H) THE UPPER OUTER END PORTIONS OF SAID ARMS ADAPTED TO RECEIVE AND SUPPORT THE AXLE SHAFTS OF EACH OF SAID SLOTTED ROLLERS, (I) MEANS TO ROTATE SAID ARMS AND TRANSFER SAID SLOTTED ROLLERS TOGETHER WITH THE TAUT WRAPPED AROUND SHEET FROM ONE SIDE OF EACH BED TO THE OTHER SIDE. 